Need a House? Call Ms Mouse! by George Mendoza, illustrated by Doris Susan Smith

Title: Need a House? Call Ms Mouse!

Author: George Mendoza

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 1^st November 2022

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 40

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: A charming and popular children’s classic about an industrious architect mouse, brought to life for a new generation.

Welcome to the enchanting world of Henrietta, architect mouse. Her detailed designs are a visual feast, and will delight every imagination.

All the animals want to live in a house designed by Henrietta, because she is the only mouse in the world who understands exactly what makes a squirrel or a rabbit, a caterpillar or a frog feel at home.

This exquisitely illustrated love song to creativity will fast become a household favourite.

~*~

What happens when you’re an animal, and you need a house that is specially designed for you, with your needs and your personality catered for? Well, you call Ms Mouse! Ms Mouse builds the best houses – just ask Cat, Mole, Rabbit, Bear, and everyone else. Each house is filled with imaginative delights and colour, the best anyone could ever ask for. But where does Ms Mouse live when she’s not designing, building, and decorating houses for everyone else in the forest?

2022 sees the re-release of a children’s classic, Need a House? Call Ms Mouse for a new generation of readers. Henrietta’s world is populated with all her friends and all kinds of animals who need a home. The story is longer than most picture books, so I think it would be aimed at older children, confident readers, and those who are learning to read on their own. I liked the classical feel about this book – it had a sense of timelessness about it. The animals are all friends, and I like this sense of unity we get – they’re all in the same community and it shows that a diverse community can work well, making a place where everyone can feel safe and feel like they’ve got friends.

I also loved that everyone admired Henrietta for her talents – she was appreciated for what she could do, and I think this is a good lesson to teach readers of this book. To remind them that everyone has different skills and talents they can bring to the world, and each person, each talent, is a valuable thing – no one skill is more important or valued than another, because we need them all for society to function effectively.

The delightful story is accompanied by equally delightful illustrations that show the houses Henrietta creates and how the animals live in them and what they do with their lives, which is utterly beautiful and captivating. I think this is going to be a book to be treasured and loved by many for years to come, and hope that people of all ages enjoy it and find something in it that they can relate to. Another lovely picture book!